the glory days
by Carmie-chan
Summary: "W-what are you doing?" he stammers, clearly embarrassed. "Uh... stripping?" Because on those summer nights, she would look up and smile while slowly making her way into his heart. For SasuSaku Month. AU


**note:** for sasusaku_month on LJ

**prompt:** Journey

**disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**the glory days**

…

..

.

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go__  
__I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home__  
__I'll stand forever wondering if you knew__  
__I was enchanted to meet you_

.

..

…

They meet in a summer haze.

The air, though hot from the summer heat, still shoots occasional flutters of coolness into the night. The crickets chirp their songs as the long blades of grass dance with the breeze and the trees sway in rhythm.

"I think I rather like this."

A dark-haired male tenses slightly at the unfamiliar voice, but slowly he turns his attention towards the owner. His gaze meets a girl that looks roughly his age. She has wavy pink hair that extends past her shoulders and the brightest pair of viridian eyes he has ever seen. She is wearing a white crop tank paired with jean shorts and a woven belt. His eyes continue to travel down her form and stop when they reach her toes— she has no shoes on.

This girl, he thinks, is the most peculiar sight he has ever come across with.

The pinkette wiggles her toes and smiles shyly, "The weather I mean; Konoha's summers are hot and _sticky_." She wrinkles her nose in slight distaste to emphasize her point.

"Hn," he muses softly.

The boy is surprised when he hears a plop drop down next to him. A glare forms and he turns to his left, but his scowl immediately drops when he catches sight of her eyes. They are much brighter up close; in fact, they are _luminescent_.

He practically _feels_ the red crawling up his neck, and quickly turns away in embarrassment. She giggles at his antics.

"So…" he begins, "Konoha, huh?"

"Yeah…" she responds, "I'm staying in Oto with my cousin and his family till the end of summer. Actually, you might know him; he's the one who planned this "party". Naruto Uzuma—"

"Dobe."

"—ki?"

The pink-haired girl grins, "Guess you _do_ know him. Apparently it's his best friend's birthday today so Naruto kind of dragged me along to celebrate." She turns away from him and stares off into the night, "But partying isn't really my thing…"

"Hn."

A silence falls between the two and the girl glances awkwardly at her toes.

"… today's actually my birthday."

The pinkette glances towards the guy, eyes wide with shock. "W-what? _No way?"_

The boy shoots a crooked smile in the rosette's direction, "…_way_."

"So you're…" her eyes narrow in skepticism, "Uchiha-sa—"

"Sasuke."

The girl blinks in confusion before testing the name on her lips, "Sasuke? Sasuke. Saskue-san? Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun. _Sasuke-kun._"

"Hn."

The pinkette smiles, "Charmed. I'm Sakura."

"Oh yeah," a melodic laugh escapes Sakura's lips, "Happy birthday."

.

.

.

_All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you…_

.

.

.

"Now watch," Sakura proclaims as she holds up a glass, " I'm going to show you," she pauses for dramatic effect, "…how to live."

The Uchiha raises an eyebrow in skepticism as his eyes travel from the girl to the glass she has in her hand.

"Take the iced tea and pour some lemonade into it," she demonstrates, "Now, give it a quick swirl and add a lemon slice for garnish."

Sasuke hesitantly accepts the drink and eyes the liquid.

The pinkette rolls her eyes at her companion and waves her hands in an urging motion, "Come on now, _drink_."

The dark-haired teenager tentatively raises the glass to his lips and takes a quick sip, "Hn, not bad."

A large, triumphant grin covers Sakura's face, "_See_, told ya!"

"…but it's not _that_ amazing," counters the Uchiha with a smirk.

Sakura's smile falters immediately, but she quickly brushes it off, "Hmph! Well then Sasuke-kun, I guess I'll be leaving. Obviously I can't hang around with people that don't appreciate the _finer_ tastes in life."

Sasuke rolls his eyes at her statement.

"I guess I'll be looking for Naruto then. He seems to—"

"Wait."

Sakura looks over to the Uchiha expectantly, "Yes?"

Sasuke glances to the ground shyly, "Maybe I just need to drink it a second time to get a better feel for the taste…"

The sparkle returns to the rosette's eyes, "_Oh_, but of course Sasuke-kun.

"Hn." replies Sasuke as he pours himself another glass.

"This is nice, isn't it? Sitting on a porch, the bees buzzing around, drinks in hand, and all is well with the world," remarks Sakura, "And look—a sunset!"

The boy turned his gaze towards the direction in which the pinkette was pointing to. The sun was slowly making its way down the horizon; a bright ball of light radiating hues of pinks and oranges and fading into a rich shade of indigo towards the top.

She turns to him with a smile, "This is like the idyllic summertime scene, you _do_ know that right?"

He shuts his eyes to relish in the moment, "Aah."

.

.

.

_This night is flawless, don't you let it go__  
__I'm wonder-struck, dancing around all alone_

.

.

.

"Sakura!" cries a frustrated Sasuke, "_What are you doing?_ Come inside!"

The pink-haired girl opens her eyes and stops spinning around in the rain, "Why?"

"You're going to get sick!" hollers an exasperated Sasuke.

The rosette closes her eyes once more and proceeds to soak in the rain, "Uh huh."

Sasuke growls. Fine, he thinks, I'll just drag you inside.

Sakura's eyes snap open when she feels something tug at her arm, "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?"

The Uchiha gives her _a_ _look_, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making sure you don't get sick."

"Aw Sasuke-kun," she gushes, "It's okay; it's just rain."

She releases herself from his hold and jumps into a puddle, laughing in merriment as the droplets of mud splash onto her legs. Standing awkwardly in a rain spell, Sasuke decides that his shoes are suddenly interesting to look at.

"Come on." Sakura giggles as she grabs Sasuke's hands and twirls around with him, dancing in the rain. The girl grins like mad and the usually stoic Uchiha can't help but slightly turn his lips up in amusement.

Suddenly, a loud whip-like crack echoes across the sky.

"Thunder." they say simultaneously while looking into each other's eyes.

Quickly, Sasuke grabs Sakura's hand and the two dash towards his house. When they arrive at the porch, Sakura sends a shy smile up to the Uchiha while he looks away shyly and hides a blush.

"Thanks," whispers the pinkette.

"Hn, no problem."

Sasuke then proceeds to direct his gaze down and notices that his hand is still intertwined with Sakura's. His eyes widen and he quickly releases his hold, letting his arm drop back to his side.

Sakura giggles at his antics and he decides that his shoes are actually _very_ interesting to look at.

.

.

.

_Walls of insincerity__  
__Shifting eyes and vacancy__  
__Vanished when I saw your face_

.

.

.

"So…" the rosette begins, "What are your dreams?"

He turns and gives an inquisitive look, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," she hums, "Aspirations? Goals? Plans for the future?"

"Maybe a police officer like my dad… I don't know." he turns to back to lie on his back, "What about you?"

She puts a finger to her chin in a thinking pose, "I'm not too sure; a doctor perhaps?" she turns to face him, "I may not know yet, but I _do_ know I have _big dreams_."

He scoffs, "Whatever Sakura."

"Maybe I just want adventure in my life," she sticks out her tongue, "Cloud watching is boring; why are we doing this again?"

He coolly ignores her question, "Hn. Good luck finding adventure in this small town."

She blinks back her surprise, "What are you talking about?"

He opens his mouth to retort.

"I met you, didn't I?"

His words die in his mouth.

"Besides, this whole summer has been a journey so far. And it's packed adventure!" she laughs.

Sasuke remains silent, unsure of how to respond.

"But the best part of this journey…" Sakura breathes whimsically, "We don't know what's coming next."

.

.

.

_The playful conversation starts_

_Counter all your quick remarks_

.

.

.

"How do you _not_ like ice cream?" Sakura points her finger accusingly.

Sasuke merely shrugs, "I just don't; I don't care for any sweets."

The pinkette raises a hand to cover her mouth and gasps dramatically, "Were you dropped as a child?"

The Uchiha narrows his eyes in slight aggravation.

Sakura sticks out her tongue, "Just kidding. I'm sure Mikoto-chan and Fugaku-san took great care of you."

"Speaking of which," Sasuke rubs the back of his head awkwardly, "My mom was kind of wondering if you want to come over for dinner…"

"Will there be ice cream?"

.

.

.

_And now I'm pacing back and forth_

_Wishing you were at my door_

_I'd open up and you would say, "Hey"_

.

.

.

"Wow…" Sakura breathes.

"Hn."

The pinkette extends her arms up in a feeble attempt to capture the pale, flickering glows of light. She lets out a small sigh of disappointment when her fingers graze nothing but air. Meanwhile, the dark-haired male sitting beside her lets out a soft chuckle at the girl's antics.

Sakura stares out into the night, absorbing the sight in front of her as the tall blades of grass tickle her legs.

"They usually come out after a storm," Sasuke casually supplies.

The fireflies continue to dance against the darkness, illuminating the sky with their glow.

The rosette rests her head on the Uchiha's shoulder and yawns softly, "It's amazing isn't it?" she sighs lightly and continues, "Something so small can create something so utterly _breathtaking_.

"Aah," he nods in agreement.

A peaceful silence consumes the two as they both relish in the serenity of the moment. Quietly, Sasuke lets his head rest tenderly on his companion's.

He gently shuts his eyes and the night grows darker.

.

.

.

_The lingering question kept me up_

_2 AM, who do you love?_

_I wonder 'til I'm wide awake_

.

.

.

"I can't believe you've never eaten watermelon before!"

"But I have…" Sasuke pointedly notes.

"_Nah uh_! You've always cut them into cubes, you _wimp_." The rosette exclaims, "You got to eat it straight from the peel!"

The Uchiha raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I doubt it makes a difference."

Sakura swiftly takes the male's hand and leads him down the paved road, "Come on."

When the pair arrives at a local farmer's market, the pinkette makes a beeline towards the crate full of watermelons.

She raps her knuckles against the fruit, "Now the key to picking a good watermelon is to listen for," she bends her head down and flicks the melon with her index finger, "a nice, hollow sound."

Sakura grins in satisfaction when she finds a ripe melon. They quickly pay for it and head back to the Uchiha manor.

The two eat in a comfortable silence. Soon, the whole watermelon is gone, leaving the pair with the outer skins.

Sasuke gets up and begins to collect the leftovers. He heads inside, but haults when Sakura grabs his shirt.

"Wait," she looks up and smiles. The watermelon juices drip from the corners of her mouth, almost glistening from the sunlight. Sasuke stares at her lips, suddenly feeling an urge to lick the juices off. He refrains himself from doing so, all the while mentally berating himself for having such a foolish thought.

"Watch," chimes Sakura as she wipes off the juices from her mouth.

Sasuke lets out a disappointed sigh.

The rosette stands up and musters some strength in her arm before flinging the watermelon peel into the woods. It travels a good ten feet before finally landing.

Sasuke stares dumbfounded at her actions, "What the hell?"

"Decomposition at its finest," smiles the pinkette.

The Uchiha shrugs and follows in her example, hurling a peel past her previous throw.

"Hn," he smirks arrogantly.

"Just watch, Sasuke-kun! This next one will go _way_ farther than yours!"

.

.

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_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go_

.

.

.

Her pink hair sprawls across his chest as she turns her head to listen to his steady heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

It's like a metronome, she thinks.

Her gaze turns back up towards the sky. The stars illuminate the darkness; glittering and sparkling like the brightest of diamonds. The radiance is so astounding that it is almost as if she was staring through holes in the floor of heaven.

She will miss these moments the most when she leaves.

A single tear travels down her face as she speaks, "I love how Oto is a small town."

Sasuke's chest rumbles as he replies, "But a big city holds more opportunities. Besides, big dreams belong in a big city..." he says almost bitterly.

"Yeah… but you can't see the stars in Konoha," she remarks sullenly, "Too much light pollution."

"Hn."

Her emerald eyes fixate on the sky once more, desperately trying to memorize the scene and forever capture this moment in her heart.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun…"

"…"

"I wish summer would never end."

.

.

.

_Please don't be in love with someone else_

_Please don't have somebody waiting on you_

.

.

.

"I'm bored."

"Hn."

"I'm sure sitting on this pier and staring at a lake is plenty fun for you, but it's not for me."

Suddenly, Sakura stands up and starts fumbling with the hem of her shirt. An indecisive look adorns her face, but soon she lifts the article over her head and Sasuke sits frozen, gawking at her actions.

"_W-what are you doing?" _he stammers, clearly embarrassed.

With one final tug, the rosette pulls off her shirt and flings it to the ground. She blinks down innocently, "Uh… stripping?"

His face flames red and he quickly turns away to save himself from further embarrassment.

"_Why?"_ comes out a terse reply.

"I want to swim," she shrugs, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm keeping my underwear on."

"_Have you no decency?"_ cries an uncomfortable Sasuke, still looking away.

"Pish, posh," she waves him off nonchalantly, "It's nighttime; no one's gonna see anyway."

She discards her shorts and jumps into the lake, "Come on in, the water's fine," she calls in after him.

Sasuke turns around and gives her _a look_, his eyes screaming_ are you shitting me?_

She giggles lightly before splashing some water onto his face.

The Uchiha immediately scowls.

"Fine, killjoy. You can just close your eyes while I swim around a—" she stops when she notices the male pulling off his shirt.

The moonlight shifts over and shines on the Uchiha, revealing a long, lean frame. Her eyes continue to stare, tracing over his toned chest and firm abdomen. Sakura nearly faints at the sight.

With one final tug, he discards his shorts and runs in after her.

"You're going to pay for that," he says with his trademark smirk.

.

.

.

_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_

_I was enchanted to meet you_

.

.

.

"So… what's this Natsu Matsuri I keep hearing about?" Sakura asks with curiosity.

"It's just an annual summer festival that Sound has," Sasuke replies boredly, "Music, games, lanterns… same old, same old."

The pinkette's eyes light up, "Sasuke-kun, we should go!"

The dark-haired male rolls his eyes, but agrees nonetheless. "Hn, whatever."

On the night of the festival, Sasuke picks her up at Naruto's.

"_Ooh_, look at you teme. _Schmancy,_" Naruto sniggers as he opens the door and takes note of Sasuke's attire— a simple black yukata.

The Uchiha narrows his eyes in minor irritation, "Dobe."

At that moment, Sakura arrives down the stairs and bids Naruto farewell. She closes the door and loops her arm around Sasuke's, preparing to head off to the festival.

"_Oh_, well don't you look nice?" the rosette giggles.

A tiny, microscopic tint of red develops on Sasuke's cheeks, but he quickly brushes it off. "… you too."

Sakura pauses in her movements and widens her eyes in surprise. She glances down at her outfit—a red yukata with small cherry blossom detailings tied together with a light pink obi. Meanwhile, her hair is tied in a low side bun with few rebellious pink strands falling out to frame her face.

She looks up hesitantly at him, "Y-you really think so…?"

He smirks, "…yeah."

.

They spend the evening playing various games from scooping goldfish to throwing rings on sake bottles.

When they pause to order some dango, Sasuke can't help but notice how beautiful she looks illuminated under the lanterns. Silently, he grins to himself.

Just before the fireworks start, the pair decides to find a viewing spot up on a balcony.

The Uchiha takes a small bite of dango and chews it, but stops when he hears a whimper. He looks to Sakura and is shocked when he finds her face streaming with tears.

"What's wrong?" he asks tentatively.

She looks up with her emerald orbs glistening with tears. She quickly wipes them away, "Nothing," she dismisses sadly, "It's just… tonight's my last night here."

He can't explain why he feels a sudden pang in his heart when he hears her words. He looks down as the feeling drops to his stomach.

She sniffles slightly, "I've been meaning to do this for a long time, but since it's my last night…" she looks up with a sad smile, "I might as well do it now."

The first firework shoots up into the sky.

Sakura grabs a fistful of noir hair and brings his face down close to hers. In one swift movement, she closes the gap between them. All Sasuke feels is warm lips meeting his own. Sparks of electricity shoot down his spines as he closes his eyes to savor the taste of strawberries on his lips.

By the time he opens his eyes; she's gone.

.

.

.

_This is me praying that this is the very first page_

_Not where the storyline ends_

_My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again_

.

.

.

It's been roughly two weeks since she's last seen him. She regrets leaving him that night and inwardly cringes at the thought of never seeing him again.

She smiles grimly.

After all, it was just a summer fling.

The rosette stares out the window, tuning out the monotonous tone of her instructor's voice. She stares at the trees outside and remembers _summer nights_, and _thunderstorms_, and _fireflies_, and _stars_, and—

Her thoughts are interrupted when her teacher says something peculiar.

"Class, please welcome our new student—"

Emerald eyes widen.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

…

..

.

_fin._

* * *

**note:** Happy Birthday, Sasuke! This story is kind of a compilation of my favorite aspects of summer, though I missed a few things looking back...hm…. When I was originally planning this, the prompt played a larger role but the story kind of snowballed into something bigger. Oops, oh well. On another note, I'm so glad it's summer: late nights, bonfires with friends, the beach, just _yesss!_ Lyrics are from "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift. I'm kinda listening to a lot of T Swizzle lately, haha.

Happy SasuSaku month!

Reviews are much loved.


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